Heart Of The Phoenix
by Acky002
Summary: Sequel to Heart of Dragons When Disaster befalls young Collin nobody can work out what is wrong. Not even us, and we're his best friends. But when a new threat rears its head, we know the too things are connected. Still this Magic is a Myth? Think again. A year of love, loss, revenge, and bitterness. This is Our Story.


Heart of the Pheonix

Volume 2

Thomas Ackerman

Collin Anderson loved his job. It was dangerous, it was exciting and it was his passion. He was what you might call a spy, a secret agent. Though little did he know that his secret was out. Although it was a dangerous job he had a son, Adam Anderson. He was only thirteen and loved driving Ferrari's and Aston Martin's expertly on his PS3. Collin had heard of his sons exploits and was extremely proud. Adam and his friends, Jake Hunter and Robyn Young, had managed to take down one of the most notorious Crime lords of all time. Being Japanese, Collin knew the importance of pride and honour. Adam had given himself pride and his family honour. Now he was coming home from his last mission in Japan. For his last mission He was sent to investigate a man called the Phoenix. The Phoenix was a known Japanese arms dealer and owned one of the best ninja schools in the whole of Japan. This was not uncommon, Collin him self had sent his son to one of the Chinese samurai schools and Adam had graduated with flying colours at the age of twelve. Now he was at a new school with his friends and he was happy, which was all Collin wanted. He was driving back along Europe after getting a plane to Spain. Collin had always felt a lucky man. He had an amazing wife and a samurai as a son. But he was aware more and more his luck was running out, and fast.

As Collin drove, he became aware of a black sports car that had been tailing him for the last half mile. It was a Lamborghini murcielago[1]. The road ahead was clear so Collin opened the taps and took off. The Lamborghini trundled along behind. Then it pulled up alongside, and rolled down one of the blacked out windows. Collin looked over and saw the barrel of an MP7 sub machine staring back at him. There was a flash and a burst of fire. Collin felt a smashing pain in the middle of his chest. He put his hand down to his chest and it came away stained red. He tried to focus but his vision was swimming around inside his head. The Ferrari Modena lost control at over 210MPH and span, flying into a succession of barrel roles. The crumpled remains of the Ferrari lay on the ground. Under the bonnet the fuel reached critical temperature and exploded, turning the $160,000 car, into a raging fireball, with the remains of a human still inside.

Two days later, back in England, Adam Anderson was playing the new F1 2010 game on his PS3 in his room. He noticed the flashing blue lights and peeped out side. Just then there was a knock at the door. His mum opened it to two burly policemen.

"Yes" asked his mother

"Hello Ma'am," said a man "I'm Sergeant Jordan Davis and this is my partner Police Constable Fran Sheppard. May we come in? We have some rather bad news concerning your husband."

"Has he been arrested? When is he coming home?" asked Adam's mother

"I'm afraid" said Constable Sheppard "he'll never be able to come home. He was killed, in a car accident." Adam's mother went bright red

"If this is some sort of sick joke I'll…I'll…" she looked at their sorry expressions, and the full force of what they were saying hit home. And hit home hard "…oh… oh my god, my Collin. Oh my Collin! How was he killed?"

"I think it would be best if you sat down before we told you," Said the Sergeant. Adam's mum burst into tears. She sobbed for hours. Adam had heard all of this and even he was sobbing. Adam was not the type of person that got angry easily but then he gazed out from under his eyebrows with murder in his Eyes. He _would _get revenge for this and he would _kill_ those responsible! And hopefully his friends would help him do it. Now he was fired up and all that kept him going was the shear earning for revenge. He went upstairs and grabbed his old samurai suit and sword (called a katana) and stuffed it in his trunk for school. He would train so that he was strong enough to wipe those responsible off this planet!

Chapter 2: Old friends 

Two weeks later Jake Hunter was getting ready for his first day back at school, and the house was a hive of activity. I, for my part, was trying to help. The toaster had packed up two days ago and I was the stand in. I sat there breathing fire onto two pieces of toast, lightly toasting them to a golden brown colour one side then flipping them over with the tip of my wing and doing the same to the other. I, if you hadn't guessed, am a dragon and I must say a very good looking one at that to. To be precise I'm a white Tibetan dragon captured in Tibet and sold to the loving Griffin family. But anyway, it was then that there was a knock on the door. It was Robyn Young. After our last adventure our parents decided to move so that all three of us we lived closer together, they all agreed it would be nicer to the kids as well as safer. But this was only possible because, after we had come back from defeating the Basilisk the year before the metropolitan police each gave our families half a million pounds in funds as a thank you for our services. Adam and Robyn' parents decided to move closer to us.

"Hello Bartimus how are you? Ready for the new school year? I know I am!"

"Hello mistress Robyn, it is good to see you to Jake _will _be pleased to see you," I said with a grin on my face. If dragons can grin that is what it probably looked like.

"And what did you mean by that?" asked Robyn with a sly smile on her face.

"Oh nothing at all" I said. I, in fact was probably the only one who knew that Jake secretly loved Robyn. And who could blame him if I was a human I would think that Robyn was stunning! She had long brown hair, and was about five foot eight maybe five foot seven. She spoke strongly and had a wonderful anything-is-possible attitude. It was just then that Jake walked in, with out a shirt on, much to Robyn's surprise.

"Bartimus have you seen my shirt. I-" he started, and then he saw Robyn and stopped.[2]

"Hi Jake, you been working out? It shows," enquired Robyn looking him up and down smiling.

"Err yeah," said Jake looking confused "What you doing here I thought that you wouldn't be here for another fifteen minutes."

"Um yes I wanted to surprise you" she said flashing him a sweet smile. She clearly liked what she was seeing. She tossed him a shirt. "Here put that on and nice six-pack." Now I might be wrong but I could have sworn I saw Jake blush.

Ten minuets later we were ready. I was walking beside Jake and I was keen to show him and Robyn the new spell I had learnt over the summer. It was an incantation that could make the enchanter change his (or her) body to any size he she or it wanted. And trust me a dragon the size of a small dog isn't going to fit in a Lamborghini Gallardo very well. It was an easy spell for a dragon. But when I preformed it I was determined to shrink to the size of a parrot but I got the words mixed up and shrank to the size of a carrot. On our way out of town we picked up Adam. He sat in the front with Jake' dad (Darral Griffin) while the Jake and Robyn sat in the back. As we drove off I gave Robyn a sideways glace and saw her looking at Jake. I may have been mistaken again but I could have sworn I saw a loving look in her eyes. Adam looked over and smiled.

"You two would make an excellent couple. You know that don't you" he said smiling like a maniac

"No way not a chance" said Jake and Robyn together a little bit too quickly. All three laughed. It was happy in the car for the time being but Adam wondered if his friends would think of helping him. He hoped he would but he didn't Jake' dad to know his plans. He would wait until they were at school before he told them.

Chapter 3: The Journey

The ride up to Aosta was just as thrilling as last year. The Lamborghini Gallardo was a beautiful machine. 560 horse powers grunted in pure determination, all of them with one thing on their mind, powering the Gallardo to over 200 mph. Darral was a good driver and handled the Gallardo at speed with amazing precision. Only once did we get stopped by the police. This was in France.

"Can I zee your pazzport and driverz lizence pleaz misuse?" asked the cop speaking in English but with a very strong French accent. Darral flashed his ID at the young cop and looked at him. He looked at Darrel for a second then looked down at the ID then back to Darral.

"I zort you were just a...how you say? A myth. Now I see it with my own eyez." He looked in at the window and beamed at the three children and me "I would like to be ze first to congratulate you one your capture of ze infamous Basilisk." He stood back and saluted us and rushed off.

"Wow news does travel fast!" said Darral.

"Sure does" said Jake feeling rather flattered.

"Great if his ego wasn't big enough" smiled Robyn.

Thirteen hours later hours later we rolled into the car park of Durmstrang academe of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The building was huge. It had long, tall, towers stretched up into the sky reaching up with long gothic fingers. The academe was designed to look like an Old Italian castle and was at least five hundred years old. It was a place where people who could perform magic could learn to blend in with natural, normal, people. It was also a place where people learnt to protect themselves against the forces of evil. Apart from that it was like any school or collage in normal society. After Jake had come back from chasing and capturing the Basilisk he had started back to school. He Robyn and Adam were in the same houses so they often studied together. Because of this they had caught up with the others in the class fairly quickly. Jake also had had time to go out for a run round the school once in the morning every day. This made him a major force when it came to the sports day. He actually went and smashed the one hundred, two hundred and four hundred metre record for the school and was crowned the fasted first year the school had ever seen. The school had permitted him to set up his own running club[3]. Robyn had joined a few months ago and was now (with Jake' 'special' help) was now the fastest female in the school. Unfortunately most of Jake and Robyn's mates had found out that they fancied each other, which was a constant pain to both Jake and Robyn.

But any way back to my story. As we got out Robyn looked around.

"Home, sweet home I suppose. Kind of." She said with a blissful smile. Kristina Fox walked around the corner. She saw Robyn and shrieked. Robyn cried out as well. The joyful duo embraced and smiled. It had been nearly two months since these two soul mates saw each other[4]. Jake and Adam saw their house mates and walked casually over.

"You gonna ask her out yet" asked the taller of the group smiling at Jake. He was the same age as Jake (15) and about his height. He had chocolate brown hair and a pair of jet black eyes.

"All in due cause, Ryan" said Jake

"Here, what you guys talking about?" asked Adam

"He fancies Robyn" said Ryan

"Do you?" asked Adam

"I suppose so" said Jake "I said I would ask her out in near Christmas and it is only September now so I have a way to go yet. But I will ask her out, I'm a man of my word."

"That's your dad talking, that is." Said Rob beaming, Rob was about two or three centimetres smaller than Jake. He had a mop of brown hair and two emerald green eyes. Ironically Robyn, Kristina and their friends were having the same conversation only four hundred meters away.

Chapter 4: The beginning.

It was defiantly December. The castle had been covered in a blanket of white snow crystals. Jake and I were in our German lesson.

"To say your name and how old you are, say "Ich hiße" then your name then "ich bin fünfzehn jahre alt. Now turn to the person next to you and tell them your age and name," said the German mistress Frau Symonds. She was short, smaller than Jake by about three inches. She had mousey brown hair tied back in a tight bun. Jake turned to Adam.

"Hallo, ich hiße Jake ich bin fünfzehn jahre alt, und du?" asked Jake.

"Very good Jake, good accent as well," said Frau Symonds. As we sat next to a window I looked out into the caught yard. Robyn was their practicing fire attacks with Ignacia[5], her Phoenix. Ignacia was a wonderfully beautiful specimen[6], with red and black feathers and a pair of beautiful jet black eyes. She had been Robyn's fifteenth birthday present from her parents. Robyn shouted a command Ignacia burst into flames and flew high in the air. Then the beautiful beast did a short elegant role and dived. It headed for the straw scarecrow in the middle of the caught yard. It barrelled into the figure and passed straight through it, a split second later the scarecrow internally combusted. Robyn looked ecstatic and jumped in the air punching her fist in the air. For some unknown reason she looked up at the window and smiled at me. Then Ignacia flapped down in front of her, its flames extinguished. Robyn hugged the phoenix.

"She really is something," sighed Jake. The bell went with a loud shriek to announce the end of the learning day.

"Jake get Robyn and meet me in the library in five minuets," said Adam with that he left.

"That sounded urgent go find Robyn tell her what Adam just said and stay with her. I'll see what's up with Adam" said Jake.

As I flitted down, Robyn was talking to Kristina.

"Robyn. Adam wants to speak with you and Jake. He looked very upset." I said.

"Um ok what's wrong?" she asked.

"Not sure" I said. We said goodbye to Kristina and started walking towards the library when, from the, came the sound of flapping. I turned round. Robyn stuck out her arm and Ignacia perched herself on it. Robyn smiled a far off smile then turned to me and stopped.

"Bartimus, can I ask you something personal?" she asked looking at me with a blissful unawareness in her eye

"Fire away," I said but added looking at the phoenix "no pun intended."

"Do you think that Jake, you know, likes me? I mean, really likes me. Because I'm thinking about asking him out but I don't know how he feels."

"Well what does your heart say?" I asked

"It says that he does" she said in reply

"Well, do you want my honest opinion?"

"Yes"

"Follow your heart. Don't get side tracked and don't deviate from what it says. Don't think or you won't do. But I want you to wait until after Christmas ok? Jake wants to tell you something"

"Ok, by the way, I would rather that you didn't tell him about this talk. You too Ignacia." She said with a big smile. We walked in through a pair of double doors and into the vast space that was the library.

Chapter 5: Spilt tears. 

Adam looked up as we say us. He was wearing his dad's white headband[7]. Jake looked worried, Robyn looked concerned, I looked on in hope and Ignacia looked upset.

"I haven't been truthful with you," said Adam "Two weeks before we came to school I was at home playing my new game when the police came round. They said that dad had been killed in a car accident. But I know better. I did a bit of snooping around and found dads car, or what's left of it." He got up and walked to the door and looked out at the snowy background. A light snow was falling.

"They said that he was not wearing a seat belt, but when dad was around he wouldn't drive two metres until I had mine on. It was murder, plane and simple. And I want revenge on those who killed my father. I can't do it without your help but I will do it on my own if I have to." A tear glistened in the corner of Adams eye.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner Adam? Are we not your friends? And friends don't keep things from each other." Said Jake, he looked at his distraught friend.

"I didn't want your dad to find out. If he did then I would never the revenge and closer I crave for." Adam was sobbing now, Jake pulled him into a hug "I can't let them get away with this, they killed my father. And I'm going to kill them!"

"Adam, Adam, Adam, we'll help you. We'll get you through this and find the people responsible." Said Robyn, as the sobs came out through the cloth of Jake' coat. It was horrible to see him cry. He didn't do it often when he did he did it once then that was it. He stopped ten minuets later.

"mum cried herself to sleep for a week, I'm doing this for her and her alone." He said with that he turned on his heal and walked off, Tobias Adam's trusted griffin trotted behind him giving him friendly bumps on the leg. They disappeared into the snowy world that lay beyond the front door.

"So you going to ask her out tomorrow then?" asked Rob. It had been about three hours since the ordeal in the library. Jake, Rob, Ryan, Tobias and I were sitting in the dormitory. We had been talking about Jake' plan to ask out Robyn for the past few minuets.

"Yes. This is going to be amazing, the look on her face when she sees what I have planned, ha!" said Jake with a sly smile on his face. "But I'm going to need your help Bartimus. Yours to Tobias, and you Rob, Ryan you too"

"Sure thing boss" I said

"So what do you want me to do?" asked Rob, Jake smiled.

"Rob I want you to get everyone to look out of the east wing window at about midnight. Bartimus I want you to write a message in the sky when I give the thumbs up. And Tobias I need you give us a lift up to the roof of the Dinning hall. Ryan tell Igor Karkaroff what's going on"

"Ok until tomorrow night then." Said Tobias in he husky voice

"Right and this conversation never happened, ok?" said Jake in a stern voice.

"Ok" said everyone.

"Right let's do this" said Jake.

Chapter 6: Will you?

The next night Thomas slipped silently into Robyn's room and waited under her bed. Two hours earlier he had been on top of a roof readying a table on top of the roof of the dining hall. He had put candles on the table and even a rose in a vase. He had also chosen the time perfectly. The moon was a massive white ball hanging in an oily black sky. It was all very Romantic, If you ask me. Now all he could hear was the gentle breathing of his lover only two inches from his face. Jake silently rolled out from under his hiding place and stood up. Looking round he saw Robyn asleep on her bed, the moon light fell over her face through the window making her look even more beautiful. For a moment Jake thought about what he was going to do. The plan was going smoothly so far so he gently woke Robyn.

"What? Who? Jake? What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"Shush. Keep it quiet, get dressed and come with me," he said walking to the window. He looked out and whistled once. There was a flurry of wings and Tobias was sitting at the window

"You ready?" asked Jake

"Ready as I'll ever be master Jake." said the griffin.

"You ready?" he asked Robyn

"Yes, what's going on?" She asked

"You'll see" said Jake. They climbed onto Tobias' back and the griffin took off into the night. It flew straight and true, like a boat in a calm sea, and landed next to the table.

"Now sit down and close your eyes." Said Jake

"Ok," she said. Jake gave me the thumbs up and I breathed into the air. I wrote a message in fire in the air not three hundred metres away. The message read:

Robyn, will you go out with me?

Jake

Jake knelt down in the snow with a box in one hand and a hope full look on his face. He opened the box to reveal the silver necklace that glinted in moon light.

"You can open your eyes now" he said. Robyn opened her eyes and gasped.

"WAT THE F***!" she said. She looked around and laughed. "Yes, the answers yes!" she said.

Jake beamed, put the necklace round her neck and nodded to me. One more message followed the first:

She said yes!

There was a cheer in answer. It must have been the signal that the whole school had been waiting for. The head master, Igor Karkaroff, stepped out of the shadows.

"May I be the first to congratulate you two" he said "your relationship has been the talking point of this school for the past week" three more teachers stepped out of the shadows, but they were already forgotten. Jake turned to Robyn and looked deep into her eyes.

Robyn smiled and rapped her arms around Jake and closed her eyes. She was in heaven, she had longed for this moment for a long time and now she couldn't believe it was happening. In the background a Phoenix, Griffin and White Tibetan dragon sat on a ledge watching the loving couple, as the moon looked down on them. I wrote one last message in the sky.

"Do you think it will last?" asked the griffin

"Sure it will, it's like they were made for each other," I said. From that moment on, I knew that their destines are _very _tightly entwined. I looked back over to the romantic couple[8], and thought to my self 'you did follow your heart, good for you!'

It was official. Jake and Robyn were officially an item.

Chapter 7: Getting started. 

Robyn, Jake, Adam and I walked down the valley. The sun was beaming through the trees, giving everything strange golden orange glow. The snow was wonderfully smooth, in pristine condition.

We had started walking along the edge of the forest that runs round form the west side of the castle right around to the east. In the north was the great Mediterranean Sea stretching away with the late evening light making it shimmer with a golden glow. As we looked we could see tiny diamonds shimmering on the water.

"Do you know who your dad was racing?" asked Robyn

"Yes he was racing the former speed king: formally the speed king is called Karen Fletcher but is known to the police as the phoenix" replied Adam.

"Wait is Karen is that not a girl's name? What does a speed _King _want with a girl's name?" asked Tobias. Adam stopped and looked out across the view point and to the lake.

"Maybe because this 'speed _king' _is really as speed _Queen?_" Said the phoenix, quiet to everyone's surprise,

"Well I never, a talking phoenix[9]! You know you are especially rare? And I have one as an apprentice! Wow" exclaimed Robyn

"Yes mistress I can talk and I have much to tell you but I do not think that this is an appropriate time. We have a murder to catch and I don't think that you will need to employ the help of two dragons this time. Is that not the case Bartimus?" asked Ignacia. She had a faint Spanish accent and it showed through when she spoke. Her previous master had obviously been Spanish.

"Wait a minuet!" said Robyn "Bartimus you knew that Ignacia could talk didn't you?"

"Yes mistress Robyn" I said. I would like to point out that Ignacia and I have often had talks about our lives. She was particularly impressed with the feat of the three young magicians last year but most of all the talks we had had; had been in secret. She didn't want any body to know about her talking until she and vetted them properly.

"Right enough surprises today. I think that we should start to try to find out who this 'Speed king' is" said Jake.

"To be honest I think the people who assassinated my dad are a lot worse than Basilisk. We're going to have to train like mad," said Adam "I've had a talk to the head and he has granted us the same amount of support as last time"

"Ok with that settled I think that we should start by training" I said. "but it evolves a friend of mine who lives up in the alps. We'll need two tents, three" I looked at Jake "or just two sleeping bags" he lobed a snow ball at me, and missed, "and other bits and bobs that go with a survival kit"

"Who is going to lend us those?" asked Robyn

"I didn't say anything about asking to take them" I said "consider it the first part training, find and recover with out being caught"

"Oh ok. That's not going to be hard. Really," said Robyn as we started walking back to the castle. As we walked Robyn pulled Jake aside,

"Can I come running with you tomorrow? Just you and me?" she asked

"Yeah sure, why d'you ask?" asked Jake

"Just want to get you back for my late night last night" she said, I immediately new what she had planned.

Chapter 8: Surprises…

It was about five O'clock in the morning, as the castle stood next morning. Jake got up silently and put on his jogging kit. Looking out of the window he decided to put on a coat and scarf, mainly because the ground still icy and covered in snow. The moon was still out and it didn't look like it would be getting light until about 8 o'clock. He pulled out his spikes and slipped into them. He clip clopped out into the lobby and waited for Robyn. She came out and looked at him.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Yep you" Jake replied.

"As I'll ever be, so where are we going?" she asked

"I was thinking down to the sea and along the beach, then back up here to a hot shower and a bit of breakfast that ok?"

"Let's go"

They jogged out down along the path Jake had to catch Robyn every now and then as she only had trainers on. The jogged out to the top of beach and ran back along the sand. Sea gulls soared about the sky. He stopped to let Robyn catch her breath.

"What's up?" he asked

"Nothing I just can't keep up with your pace!" she smiled.

"Ok. Well run back through the forest and cut back to the dormitories. How about that?" he asked

"That would be just dandy thank-you" she said breathlessly. With that they turned and jogged back to the castle.

Halfway along the path they started to run along a narrow path that ran alongside a small ledge ledge. Robyn jogged slightly behind Jake partly because she liked his butt but mainly because he was just too quick. She still couldn't believe that he had done what he did the night before and was still trying to plan out how to get him back. She considered herself lucky. Jake wasn't the best looking guy in the school but he was definitely the fastest and the most loyal kind charming guy she had ever known. And she just knew that he was right for her. Suddenly Jake gave a cry and disappeared from sight. Robyn screamed his name and he groaned from over he side of the ledge. The drop can't have been more than about 9 ft but it was straight onto a slope. Jake had landed and fallen. There was a drag in the dirt where he had slid down and now he was wrapped around a tree. Still. Unmoving. Clutching his ribs, he gave a groan. Robyn, relieved to see that he was alive, climbed down the ledge and hurried over to him.

"Jake! You ok?" she cried

"I've felt better" he said with a wry smile.

"That looked painful. Come on, I'll help you back up to the castle. I'm pretty sure I can bandage you up, what with mum being a doctor and all!"

"Thank you" he said. The pair hobbled back to the castle. Robyn stat Jake down on a chair and took off his shirt. The right ribs were purple and swollen but she smeared some ointment on it and bandaged him up. The moon came out from behind the clouds and fell across his face making his eyes sparkle like diamonds. Robyn new what she had to do now. Quick as a flash she pushed his back up against the wall and drapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was electric and shocked Jake like anything, but she loved him and the look in his eyes so it didn't matter.

"What was that for?" he asked she moved her lips right next to hiss ear

"For always being there for me and for being you are a great boyfriend" she said. Then she stopped drew back and turned round then stopped to see a burly young man staring back at her.

"Ah isn't that sweet" said an unfamiliar voice behind them.

Robyn turned round, and screamed.

Chapter 9: … and Attacks.

The voice belonged to a young man in his early twenties. He was dressed all in black. His face was sullen and his eyes were bright yellow. As I watched two wings sprouted out from his back. On his arm was a weapon on that looked rather like a modern style assassin's creed hidden blade. Add this all together and you get a whole lot of blood sucking trouble.

"Hello Adam Andrews" said the man.

"Who or what are you" asked Jake.

"I, my friend, am what you call a vampire assassin. I was the one who killed you unworthy father." He said taking off his balaclava "what not even the slightest bit upset?" his face was pale and his jet black hair fell across his face in long strips. There was a tad bit of annoyance showing on it "Well then I suppose" there was a blur of movement and Robyn was no longer by the Jake' side. "If I kill your girlfriend then I guess you'll get very angry" his face twisted in to a wicked smile, showing his abnormally large pair of K-9 teeth. He lowered his head close to Robyn's neck.

"But how do you know she means anything to me?" said Jake.

"So then why did-… what the?" said the vampire

Jake turned round and saw a figure dressed in black materialise from the shadow's. he was about Jake' height and a little bit more muscular. Although he was silhouetted against the window, I could tell he was no older than Jake or Robyn.

"Leave them alone or by my blade I will run you through" said the boy, drawing a long curved blade. I recognised the voice immediately, but the other humans looked on in amazement.

"You should know that steel can't kill me, anyway you wouldn't dare, you don't have the guts" said the vampire a sadistic smile on his face.

"This is silver not steel and your wrong!" said the figure. Something flashed from the assassins hand and a silver disk flew across the sky towards the boy. There was the sound of metal on metal as the boy swatted the thing away with the sword. The boy jumped over Jake and sliced at the arm the assassin was using to hold Robyn next to him. The tip of the blade sliced through the assassin's shirt and grazed his skin. The smell of burnt flesh rose up to join the howling wail, emanating from the vampire. His grip on Robyn relaxed a bit. A bit was all Robyn needed, she slipped out of the assassins hold and ran over to Jake and rapped her arms around him. She buried her head in his chest, making him gasp in pain, sobbing in relief. The Vampire reeled backwards and jumped over the boy and out of the window.

"you haven't seen the last seen the last of me young samurai!" he exclaimed. With that he spread his wings and disappeared into the forest. When Jake looked up after checking if Robyn was ok, he found that they were the only ones the building. A look of shock and disbelief spread across his face as he realised who the mysterious Samurai had been, it such a stupid idea that it almost belonged in a dream. The samurai was Adam.

Chapter 10: Weaponry 

Jake and Robyn ran back to the school, with Jake wincing every few paces. They clattered into the hallway shouting, waking several people from their sleep.

"Adam! Adam where are you come here quick!" shouted Jake "We know who you are Adam don't worry it's not something to be ashamed of. It's amazing," Adam peeped out from his room dressed in the same things as the samurai just a few minuets before. Jake pushed it open, bundled him into his room and sat on the bed staring at him.

"When were you going to tell me" asked Jake looking a bit hurt.

"And how did you know we were in trouble?" asked Robyn.

"I wanted to but, I wasn't sure you'd believe me." he said glum faced "I was training in the woods and heard a scream I picked up my katana and ran after the sound" he said looking Robyn in the face for the first time. "I was hoping that you'd join me when I go back to my old school to ask advice of my old sensei"

"Of coarse we'll come. We said we'd do anything to help you," said Jake turning to Robyn for support

"I am glad I will need your help. There is only one way to get there, it is dangerous and monitored closely. Each of you will need a weapon of some sort." He paused to let his words sink in "I will admit, you will look slightly stupid, but it will work, hopefully." He said reaching under his bed. He pulled out a large chest and undid the catch. He took out three objects and laid them on top of the chest. One was amazingly long, the other was a box and the third was a set of two things that looked to be some sort of knife.

"What are they?" asked Robyn

"The way it works" he said "is that I blindfold you and put three different weapons in front of you, all real, all deadly, and all magical. Robyn you first I want you to tell me to stop when you feel a strong pulling to the object in front of you, ok"

"Ok" she said

"Right here is the first one" he said putting an object in front of her "anything? No well here is the second-"

"Yes I feel it, a pulling towards this one!" she said ripping off the blindfold. She looked at what she had chosen. One of the things was a bow. It had to be over two meters high. It was beautifully crafted and surprisingly light. The second was a quiver full of arrows that looked to have sharp silver tip.

"Ah. I thought so," said Adam with an approving smile on his face "you did exceptionally well at the archery last year. These are yimi and ya, or bow and arrow. The bow and quiver are both enchanted. The bow if shot with a pure heart will never miss the target, even if it is moving, and the quiver will never run out of arrows. Now it's your turn Jake." Adam repeated what he did to Robyn for Jake and he was drawn to the set of two things that looked like suspiciously like knives.

"And this was what I expected from you Jake" smiled Adam as Jake inspected the pair of double edged knives and their leather sheath. The blades had to be at least fifteen to twenty inches long. They were also incredibly light "They are Tanto, throwing knives. These too are also enchanted so they will always appear in their sheaths after they are thrown. And these" he said lifting up the box "are ninja throwing stars which I got from Japan they are also enchanted. There is one for each of us." He handed them out.

"Wow man, these are so cool" said Jake with a childish grin.

"We'll train with your weapons once a week and I'll show you how to master them. I will also teach you Japanese, in an hour session per day ok. Just one small thing, my sensei likes people to be in traditional dress so I'll get you some things to try on." He decided "this is going to be fun." They all agreed.

Chapter 11: training

It took them over six long weeks to master the skills that Adam was teaching them but, they soon mastered them. Robyn could shoot her Bow with supreme accuracy and Jake never missed the target with his Tanto. Along with the weaponry skills and Japanese, Adam taught them martial arts. This consisted of both samurai and ninja techniques the samurai way was by _taijutsu_ or 'the art of the body' as well as the ninja skills of _ninjutsu_ the art of stealth and evasion. Then he taught them the correct etiquette[10]. It was now about half three in the after noon and the trio went out into the forest to train with their weapons. Robyn was dressed in the traditional Japanese dress, called a kimono. The top half was as white as snow and the bottom half was blood red. The way she moved made her look as if she was gliding across the floor. Jake was also in a kimono. His was jet black with a gold dragon snaking its way up the front. Then we came to Adam, he was dressed exactly as the others although his kimono had a very complicated pattern. They wore the kimono whenever they were training so that they adapted to the weight and shape of it. And the final skill was horse riding. They each borrowed a horse form the school stables. Robyn had a chestnut brown mare that was called Gameela. Jake had a black stallion. His name was Galal. And Adam's was a gorgeous snow white Arabian mare. She was truly beautiful. Her name was Aiko. Adam loved her because; although she was in the schools stables she was actually Adam's.

It was a further two weeks before they could take the trip deep into the Alps. On the first night Robyn decided she wanted meat in their food for supper that night. She changed into jeans and a t-shirt and disappeared into the surrounding country side with Ingacia flying silently behind her. Jake sighed a faraway sigh and walked over to a tree about fifty metres away. He marked out an 'X' into the bark and took out one of his tanto and threw it at the tree. It hit the 'X' dead centre. Jake smiled.

"Good shot" I said. Jake looked up and smiled. I sat down beside him, shrinking to a manageable size.

"Thanks" he said "it's been a while since us two and a chat, too long"

"Guess so, but what is there to talk about? Everything is alright with the world." I said looking confused

Jake turned to me "do you think that Adam would kill the assassin that tried to kill us? I mean he did kill his dad."

"Not sure" I answered "it depends on his con-"

"Shhh" Jake whispered staring at the tree. Then I noticed a squirrel watching from a branch a bit higher up. Taking careful aim Jake threw the knife. It flashed through the night like the deadly missile it was and hit the unsuspecting squirrel in the chest. It fell to the ground squeecking and writhing in agony. Jake walked up to it, took out the other silver blade that had appeared from the tree and slit the animals throat.

"Sorry buddy," He said "I'm not particularly happy about eating you either" over the next five minuets he had killed two more squirrels and I cooked all three breathing a white hot flame over them till they we done all the way through. Twenty minuets later Ignacia flapped down next to me carrying two rabbits a fox and a badger.

"More things for the cook," she said "Robyn's a cracking shot"

"Yes" I said looking at the catch. I paused "Hang on, where is Robyn? And come to think of it where's Jake?" Ignacia looked at me and flashed a smile[11].

"I have no idea" I replied.

Chapter 12: Chung-Li 

We had been travailing for two days. I had shrunk to the size of a parrot and was sitting on Jake' shoulder. Three horses trotted along the long and lonesome path. Snow had fallen the previous night and covered the land in a frozen blanket. It was close to dusk and the first of the stars were blinking out of an oily black sky. It was then a shadow stood in our path.

"Halt who goes there" said the figure. He spoke in Japanese and we all recognised the man's two katanas swung by his side. He was obviously a samurai. In unison the three children jumped down from their horses and bowed low.

"I request a hearing with sensei Chung-Li. I am Adam Anderson and these are my friends Jake Hunter, and Robyn Young" said Adam, lowed and clear, in perfect Japanese.

"Sensei Chung-Li you say. Go ahead Adam-kun you are speaking to him" said the samurai smiling. So this man was a sensei[12]. He was quite young for a sensei but all the same he struck fear and respect into the hearts of all of us. Ignacia and I dropped down to the ground and walked/hopped over to Chung-Li while Tobias decided to stay by Adam's side.

"What magnificent creatures you are." He said looking at all three of us with a smile, "are they yours?"

"Yes, the Tibetan white dragon is Bartimus, the phoenix is Ignacia and the griffin is Tobias," said Robyn her voice shaking a little. Chung-Li noticed this and gave her a puzzled look.

"Why are you so scared? You should be strong. I was watching you last night you handle your Yumi and Ya expertly. You should be proud." He looked at Adam with a puzzled look "I know why you have come, it is a sad business. I will help you as much as I can but you have already the skills of Bushido." He gave us all a sad smile. "I know about your father, more than you do. I now his deepest secret one that only his work mates new"

"What? No! My dad was a Graphics designer who had to work abroad. He had no secrets from us!" said Adam's face was a mixture of emotion, each emotion fighting to take the lead.

"No Adam-kun, he was a Japanese spy. He was trained as a samurai, an expert in all types of weapon and martial arts. An excellent student and an excellent father." The sensei looked at Adam, his face bursting with sympathy. Adam looked shocked.

"No, no he, he wouldn't, he didn't" started Adam but the rest of though sentence was lost in sobs as he fell to the ground and wept. Jake looked at his friend and knelt down beside him.

"I'm so sorry" he said as he pulled his distraught friend into a hug.

"Please tell me all you know sensei Chung-Li, I need to know," said Adam said looking up from under his eyebrows.

"This is neither the time nor the place. Gather up your things we leave for my castle" said Chung-Li. I flapped up on when I saw something fly down through the trees. It embedded itself in the tree two metres away. It was a knife with a message attached. The message read

Not even the great Chung-Li will save you

You are helpless against my skill

I will come for you sooner or later.

The vampire assassin.

Chapter 13: No One Is Helpless

It was a cold crisp morning at Chung-Li's castle. But a nice morning can always bring a bad time. We were all sat in the sensei's study. Adam was trying to get to grips with the flaming hand. You had to click your fingers to get a spark and then feed it with your magic until it flared up into a ball. So far he had got it to a ball of flame and was practicing throwing it into a hoop I had drawn in the sky. At one point he managed a constant flow of fire for several seconds. It was dead on target. I tried to get him to do it again

"Adam I want you to concentrate on getting the flame as hot as you can, ok? Then I want you to try and move you arm outwards and through the fire ball towards the place you're aiming for and keep it there." He did as I said and, At last he got it to stay in a constant flow.

"Great keep practicing and I'll see if I can get the others to practice combo at-" I started but was cut off by Chung-Li.

"Adam-kun it is time" he said softly. Adam looked down at his shoes and joined him by the old cherry tree that stood in the middle of the garden. Adam sat down opposite Chung-Li and stared him in the face.

"Tell me" he said.

"ok. Your father was recruited by the Japanese secret serves after he stopped three bank robbers getting away. These three bank robbers were experts at hand to hand combat and all armed. After that he went on to great things. He stopped numerous assassination attempts on a number of different people and also had to assassinate a few people as well." He stopped to let this sink in before continuing. Jake came and sat down next to Adam.

"His last assignment was to capture the arms dealer known only as The Phoenix" continued sensei

"I'll tell you now its not me" said Ignacio

"Yes well anyway, he was found out, his cover blown he tried to run but as you know, was killed doing so. You might not think it now Adam but your father was a good honest man, who would be very proud of you."

"Then why did he lie to me?" asked Adam, looking a mixture of extreme sadness, confusion and sorrow.

"He did it to protect you from those who would dearly like to kill members of his family for revenge," said Sensei Chung-Li, "remember no body is helpless if they agree to listen to the advise given them, I will help you and your friends to perfect the art of being a samurai. But first let me see some of you friends skills" he turned to look at Jake and Robyn "now you two are either both brother and sister or in love" He smiled as Robyn and Jake blushed "but can you fight. Would you mind giving me a display of your talents?"

"Yes sure" they both said

"Ok then, on the second Friday of next month, we shall have a contest to see which of you two is the best is. So get an early night tonight and lots of practice in. when the time comes you will be facing the children in my school who are of your age" said the Sensei. He turned back to Adam "remember no one is helpless. For some one to walk all over you, you have to be lying down first."

"And that means what exactly sensei?" asked Adam

"Well you have to fight for what you believe in and stand up for what is right. Follow this and you will be right on the way to becoming a Samurai" with that the samurai got up and disappeared into the garden.

"now listen" said the sensei "there is something you need to master before the contest. They are the five rings of life"

Chapter 14: The Four Rings of Ninjutsu 

Sensei Chen-Li took the three children aside and sat them under the cherry tree.

"Before you go any further I must teach you something you have never heard of something only ninja respect and hold dear" said the old man "not even you Adam-kun." He stopped to draw some symbols in the earth "These rings are the essence in everything we as people live by. Some know them as the four elements ninja know them as the four rings of ninjutsu. The five rings form the basis of a ninja's approach to life. As a ninja you would recognize the power of nature and seek to be in harmony with it." He paused to catch his breath before continuing.

"Each of the rings represents different physical and emotional states:

1: Earth stands for stability and confidence

2: Water is adaptability

3: Fire is energy and commitment of spirit

4: Wind is freedom of both body and mind

These are the five rings of this world" sensei looked at the children and creatures. All apart form me had confused looks on their faces.

"I can read your minds as clearly as a reflection in a pond. The four rings are in every thing we do. They're the inspiration to a ninja's techniques and tactics. Over the next few days I will teach you how to use the five rings"

And they did. Over the next week they trained madly. Endless hours of hide and seek ensured that they learnt how to use their surroundings to their advantage. This was the ring of earth. They learnt How to flow, adapt and over come like the ring of water with endless sparing sessions[13]. How to be energetic, strong, and fast-moving, like the ring of fire, Sensei Chen-Li ensured this with hours upon hours of stamina training. This, although easy to Jake and Robyn, was extremely difficult for Adam. Sensei laughed as Adam came in on his first attempt.

"Here is a method for you Adam–Kun" he said to a very out of breath Adam "it is called dragon breathing and will vastly improve your stamina. Follow me. _Inhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, exhale, inhale._ And repeat." After this Adam's speed and stamina improved greatly. And soon he was keeping up with Jake and Robyn, that is until they grasped his secret! They also learnt how to evade getting hurt using instinct alone like the ring of wind.

Days flew into weeks, weeks passed into fortnights and soon it was the day before the contest. It was the end of their training, and their fighting techniques had become extremely well executed and as accrete as a sniper in a shooting match. Tomorrow they would be in a composition.

"Jake" said Robyn as she cuddled up to him in front of the fire, "I'm scared, scared about what's happening tomorrow" she looked up at him with big chocolate eyes.

"don't be, remember the saying sensei told us" Jake repeated the sensei's words "yesterday was history, tomorrow a mystery, but to day is a gift that is why it is called the present. In other words, enjoy today while you have the chance" he held Robyn tight "I'm scared too my love but that won't stop me winning that contest. But hey sword practice tomorrow. Chen-li is teaching us the two heavens, what ever that is." In front of them, the flames leaped and danced in the half light.  
Chapter 15: the first contest

Friday came like a thief in the night. Jake and Robyn had mingled with the other students and I decided to check out the arena our young samurai would be fighting in. I in at an open window and flew over to it and suddenly sopped. It was huge, a single hand to hand combat arena stood in the middle and surrounding it was a load art work and Chinese goods. At one end was an archery range. I knew that Jake would use his Tanto throwing knives and Robyn her Yami and Ya. This was going to be an interesting contest. Just then a loud gong sounded and out of nowhere, sensei Chung-Li and Adam sat down. They were closely followed by a six excited teenagers. All were armed with the weapons of a samurai. Jake was in a black and gold kimono and looked quite calm. He had his Tanto swinging by his side and his brokken in its sheath. Robyn came out with the girls. She looked ok, in a white and lavender coloured. "Welcome to your first contest" said the sensei "in this competition you will be fighting to win a pair of Katana. The first test is about swordsman ship. Each of you must fight with a brokken. The first one to get into a killing spot will win the round. It is the best of three, so let the first test begin!"

Jake fought hard and before him new it he was in the final. He stepped up to the arena and there in front of him, was Chen Ho-Chang, the School's top samurai swords man. He smiled at him and Jake smiled back. Then Chen made his move. He kept blasting Jake with attack after attack. Jake was getting hammered, and a win looked unlikely. Chen looked as if he knew this so, finally, he took a break from the onslaught of attacks. It was only a few seconds but that was all it needed. Jake shut his eyes and muttered some thing under his breath then stared at Chen smiling. Then his Brokken started to burn. Slowly at first, but bit by bit the flames started to engulf the sword. But it was strange sort of fire, although the brokken was made of wood it wasn't burning. Once satisfied, Jake swung the sword in the air, leaving a trail of fire in the air. I looked over to see sensei Chung-Li beaming. I looked over at Jake' opponent and smiled at the shock on his face. The samurai battled on but when the two swords hit Jake' sliced straight through it like a knife through butter. A cheer went up from the other contestants. They had seen numerous compactions, but nothing as exciting as this! Jake dropped low and spun round on the ball of his left foot letting his right foot strike out. It caught Chen's feet, whipping them out from under him. He fell and rolled over onto his back, moaning slightly. Quick as a flash a burning sword appeared just in front of his chin, its flames licking wickedly at the air. Chen looked genuinely scared. Jake extinguished the flames and stepped back from him. Chen got up and looked at Jake, "I would fight by you side any time…brother" he said. The crowd looked shocked[14].

Then it was the turn of the girls. Robyn was amazing. There was not as much talent in the girls as in the boys! But still it was fun to watch them fight.

Chapter 16: use your enemies strength against them

The second round was a bit more open. No weapons no protection just your knowledge of martial arts.

"Don't worry, most of the people aren't half as good as you are" said Robyn. She had just won here advent and now her brown hair was draped across her face, in long strands.

"Young samurai" shouted Sensei Chen-Li "as you have just witnessed in a stunning display by the girls, your next test combines stealth with agility. This test is all about how you handle pressure and hand to hand combat. Let the second test begin." This test proved to be entertaining. Jake fought gallantly and was rewarded with a place in the final. The rules were simple, you hit him don't let him hit you. If you preformed a move correctly but your opponent failed to go down, you were rewarded with a Yen. If you preformed a move correctly but your opponent stayed down then it was an ippon and game over. This is what Jake was striving for.

"Don't for get use your enemies strength against them if you get the chance" said Adam.

"Can the first contestants please step into the ring" shouted Sensei Chen-Li. Jake stepped up to the ring and stood in front of a boy no bigger than himself. They bowed to the sensei and then to each other. Then they started. The boy started to show haw god he was. Front flipping and hitting an imaginary enemy. When he stopped Jake punched him. Blood exploded from the boys nose as he fell. He lay on the floor and stayed there, unconscious[15]. Jake fought on to the semi finals. Then after fighting of a formidable opponent he found him self in the final.

There to meet him was Chi Sung Li, the best martial artist in the whole of the school. He held the record for the most undefeated wins on the trot and that wasn't going to stop here. The official looked at Jake

"You no the rules, yes?" he said in Japanese

"Yeah you hit him don't let him hit you" replied Jake. The official smiled. The boy had guts and that would make for an interesting match. The gong sounded and Jake made his move. He aimed a fist at Chi's larynx[16] only for it to be caught on either side. Jake opened out his hand and jabbed his fingers into his opponent's throat. Chi reeled form the attack, anger flaming in his eyes. Jake smiled, an angry opponent will make mistakes. Jake looked at chi and ran at him. Chi threw his leg out and aimed for Jake' head. At the last moment Jake dropped to his knees and slid under him. Jumping up he kicked Chi hard in the back, just below the base of the spine. The crowd cheered as Chi fell. The boy looked confused. Then it was his turn. Flipping back onto his feet, he drove a fist straight at Jake' face. Jake dodged too late and the blow hit him on the cheek. He stumbled backward as Chi threw his next punch. It was then that the strangest of things happened. Jake felt a surge of energy rush through his body like a herd of rhinos. He hands started to tingle as he grabbed the oncoming fist. He was on fire, literally! The tingling feeling in his hands had spread all over his body. How his whole body had erupted into flames of blue. Pulling his opponent onto his back, Jake threw his enemy over his shoulder and onto the floor. Still burning, Jake looked at his opponent. He threw his fist down at Chi's face missing by a millimetre. The schools best martial artist looked at the fist next to his ear, and signalled for surrender. There was an astonished look on everyone's face for a few seconds, and then the whole hall exploded with cheering and clapping. Next to me in the rafters Tobias and Ignacio danced for joy. Robyn looked at Jake. His first win making its mark on the crowd. He was amazing and she was his girlfriend. She shouted out and blew him a kiss. A smile spread through my face and I looked down at Jake, my eyes full of joy.

Chapter 17: Aiming for the best

"All students" shouted Adam "I take this time to congratulate you all on your progress so far. The next test is of strength, aim and stamina. So may your Yimi hold strong and your Ya fly straight. Let the third test… BEGIN"

Archery was Jake' weakest discipline. While Robyn had taken to Archery, Jake was still very much out of his depth with a Yimi and Ya but with his tano his skill was unmatched[17]. Now he learnt something extremely valuable. He wasn't the only magician around. A boy called Hanz stepped up to the line. Hanz looked strange. His blood red eyes matched the blood red tattoo dragon, slithering from under his right eye down and down his neck.

Hanz knocked his arrow into his bow. As he drew he closed his eyes. When he opened them the flashed a dark crimson red. Then his bow, arrow and the whole of his left arm exploded into a frenzy of bright red light. It danced and swirled around his wrist and sidled up his left arm like a snake. He took aim and fired at the target. The arrow travelled so fast towards to target it whistled. It hit the target with a loud thwack.

"Alright! Bull'z-eye! Beat that one Tómaz!" shouted Hanz, his German accent thick and clear. I knew, at that moment, that if Jake was to win he'd have to be at the top of his game.

Next it was Jake' turn. He focused knocked his arrow and pointed it at the target. He muttered a prayer of help and closed his eyes. Then it happened. It started of as a flicker. A small blue flame licked and danced on the tip of the arrow.

"Ha is that the best you can do" mocked Hanz laughing in amusement. All the while the flame had spread up through the arrow. This was it the magic was at its peek. Jake shut his eyes and let go. The arrow flew through the air….and embedded its self in the middle of the target, splitting Hanz's arrow in half. Hanz stopped laughing, his arrow falling away from the target and to the ground the crowd erupted into a massive explosion of applause.

The exact same thing kept happening throughout the test and in the end it was considered a draw. Jake looked happy. A draw would keep him on top but his lead was only by two points. Hanz walked over.

"Good shooting Tómaz. I zort I vaz going to beat zu but no I could only draw." He smiled "but next time I vil vin" he held out a hand.

"Next time" said Jake "I will beat you by miles!" they laughed. There was nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry. At least there were no hard feelings. Then it was time for the awards ceremony and the whole school was looking forward to a good time.

Chapter 18: the greatest of battles.

The next few days went like the breeze through the air. Lots of people wanted to know who Jake' sensei was. When he told them it was Adam they all laughed, until they saw that Jake was serious. To them Adam was an outsider, a _gaijin_. To them sensei Chen-Li should never have taught him their sacred ways. But then he returned with a few friends and completely obliterates every thing they thought of him. But one boy was not so willing to accept Adam

"You mean to tell me that a _gaigin_ taught you? Ha the _gainin_ has never been that good!" he said. But Quick as a flash the boy was on his knees crying out with Jake standing over him. And all he was holing was his thumb.

"Never insult my friend like that." Whispered Jake menacingly in his ear "or next time you might not walk away so freely"

Then there came the festival of light. This was a festival where every one could just relax and stray away from the normal stress of day to day life. On the day the streets were full of people and right in the middle was a woman. She was dressed in a green alb a green dress and when she looked at you; her sapphire blue eyes seemed to cut you in half. But that was not what stood out most about her. It was the fact that she had a cobra wrapped around her neck. It seemed to be perfectly at home wrapped around her neck. It reminded me of a scarf. It seemed to sense our presence and slithered down and dropped to the ground. It looked up at me with its small black beady little eyes looked up at me, a look of familiarity on its face. In a way it was right. The woman looked round.

"Oh you have come." She said a look of wonder in her eyes. "The cards, they never lie"

"What do you mean?" asked Adam

"I read taro cards. They said when two sons of Adam and one daughter of eve, come with beasts from a foreign land the great snake will fall" she looked at Adam and a feeling of sorrow filled her eyes " they also said that death was close at hand. I'm afraid you'll need all your power for that battle"

"What battle?" asked Adam

"You have the hardest battle of all. The battle is not one that is in physical sight but one that is deep down in the heart."

"Tell me what I have to do" Adam said solemnly

"You mean what _we_ have to do?" said Thomas

"Remember we will always be by your side" said Tobias the others and I nodded in agreement.

"Very well then, you must travel to the land of the Americans. To a place called California; there lies the one you seek. Remember; look out for the snake's lair. It lies behind the great sign." With that she smiled "good luck" she chirped "You'll need it" then turning to me she passed me a taro card with all the colours of the rainbow on it. "Breathe on it and press it to you skin. You will then posses the power of a chameleon. Use it on your fellow beasts" passing me another card she said "this will give you the ability to unsheathe horns from your skin and claws from your paws like a cat. You will also be able to blunt certain ones so your owner has a safer journey. Use it the same as the others but apply this one to yourself only" with that she started to walk away.

Chapter 19: New Found Power

That night, back at the castle, I did exactly as the woman said. I burnt the cards with my heat and pressed the coloured to me, Ignacio and Tobias. As it touched my skin the knowledge of changing colours immediately flooded into my reptilian skull. It was simple in retrospect. All I had to do was focus on a colour and change to it. I tried a range of colours, much to Jake' amusement! I tried red, yellow, blue, gold, pink, silver, purple, grey, and jet black. I personally enjoyed jet black best. I changed back to a brilliant snow white. After much laughing and sniggering, I tried the other card. The effect would be magnificent but I had to be at my full size so we raced out onto the court yard. Tobias flew off and perched on a nearby tower and Ignacio gracefully circled over head. Jake pressed the card to my skin and again, felt the knowledge rush through my skull. I grew to my full size, and looked down at the three children, who now looked no more than five inches tall. Using my new found power I used it to summon my new horns. I was quite surprised at what happened next. Horns shot out of my skin every where! The ones I thought were the most impressive were the ones that surrounded my face and tail. The end of my tail was immense. Two horns lunged out. They must have been one and a bit times taller than Jake at least!

"Wow!" I laughed, "This is brilliant!"

It felt good. I looked at my wings, black and leathery. Two barbs sprouted out of them like fishing hooks. I smiled and then thought about down sizing to my smaller size. Soon I felt my self shrinking. I decided that I then that I will keep to a black colour at night and be white in the day. Perhaps this will be easier than I thought.

Chapter 20: Graduation

It was now about June and all three magicians had graduated. The ceremony was magnificent! There where lanterns, candles, flowers and arenas for all types of martial arts. They even had an athletics competition. There where some good runners and they really put Jake to the test! But then it came to the actual 'graduation', a kind of passing out parade if you will. From my perch in the rafters I had the perfect view. Chen-Li had gathered all the students in the great hall. All of them were in their best robes and all where really excited. As Chen-Li called up each of the students he handed them a scroll. These scrolls stated that each student had passed with flying colours. But to a few selected individuals his assistant would hand him an item so Chen-Li could present it to the student. The first of these was

Chi Sung Li the martial arts opponent Jake had faced in the tournament. The two of them were good friends. Chen-Li took a small sachet off the little cushion the assistant was holding. He passed it to chi without a word who sat down in silence. Soon it was Jake' turn to receive his certificate. As Chen-li gave it to him he motioned to the assistant to unwrap it. It was a thing of beauty and crackled in energy. As Jake took it, it erupted into a read haze that spread across the sword and then died.

"It has accepted you as its keeper. It will not obey anyone accept you." Said the sensei "This is one of the fire swords, in the wrong hands it's a weapon of mass power." He gave Jake a casual wink, "But I think you can crack it"

When it came to Robyn she looked at the sensei and bowed low. Chen-li smiled, "this is yours" he said passing her a quiver of arrows. These two will never run out and will also hit the target you alone wish. But these arrows will pass through anything. Brick, earth, steal, iron wood, you name it it'll pass through." He smiled at Robyn's amazement. "Please, if you will, fire one at that dragon, through the eye, and think of the target out side. This will settle any doubts." She did as she was told and the arrow whistled through the air and passed through the dragon' eye.

"That's amazing" she whispered "thank you." I smiled, in some ways we all had come away with some form of gift. I still thought mine was the best though. Even if it was a card you had to press to your scaly skin. But I still think it was worth it.

* * *

[1] Just as fast as his car, a Ferrari 360 Modena, but not as pretty.

[2] I might just point out that Tómas had spent a lot of the summer holidays doing push-ups pull-ups and sit-ups so his body had become quite muscular over the time away from school

[3] The trained every Tuesday and Friday, they also entered inter-school competitions and rarely lost.

[4] A life time in their eyes

[5] Spanish for the word Fire, if you're wondering. If not then you know some thing you didn't a few minuets ago.

[6] As any good history book will tell you and I quote: "A Phoenix is a bird which is a relative to the fire spirit. It has a colourful plumage with a tail of gold and blood red (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs and then bursts into flames; both the nest and phoenix burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises, reborn anew to live again. This is where the phrase "Reborn from the ashes comes from." Although it is extremely rare some species of Phoenix have the ability of speech.

[7] he only did that when he needed help or was thinking

[8] My eyes almost welled up and that's a rare event!

.

[10] Being half Japanese himself etiquette was important to him.

[11] That's if birds can smile. it looked like a smile.

[12] A sensei by the way is a master of a sort of martial art

[13] A sparring session is when two people using only hand to hand combat to defeat their opponent. They are allowed to use any move they know as long as it is a legal one. (this includes magic)

[14] This was only something you would say if you really meant it.

[15] The boy in the end made a full recovery by the way.

[16] Adam's apple

[17] Though it might have something to do with the tanto's enchantment


End file.
